Reference on the Road: A Roving
Librarian in Loker Commons Brings Library Services to Students

April 18, 2003 -- "Hey, very cool," commented undergraduate students
as they entered Loker Common midday and saw Jeff Kosokoff, Head of Reference
Services at Lamont, sitting right inside the door. Kosokoff may claim these
greetings were provoked by his winsome smile, but it may have had more to do
with the sign on the table in front of him announcing, "Roving Librarian,
Research Assistance for the Undergraduate Student on the Run."

Jeff Kosokoff, Head of
Reference Services at Lamont, assists a student who stopped by with his
lunch to ask about resources for his Senior Thesis.

The Roving Librarian is a pilot project that brings library services into the
areas of students' everyday life. Using a wireless laptop, Reference Librarians
take HOLLIS, the Harvard Libraries portal, Research Guides, and Finding Aids
– many of the primary undergraduate research tools -- out of the library
and into non-academic spaces where students spend time. The Reference Librarian
is available to answer questions, assist in research, help locate material,
and encourage the students to keep the library and librarians at the forefront
of their research.

"The commitment of the three undergraduate libraries – Lamont,
Hilles, and Cabot – to better serve the undergraduate population, as well
as the support of HCL for the purchase of high-quality portable hardware and
the widening availability of wireless connectivity across the College, facilitated
the advent of the Roving Librarian. We are now ready to pilot outreach actions
that follow students into their residential and other non-academic haunts. The
next step for the library is to create partnerships with the dorms and houses
to create Roving Librarian hours in these spaces," said Heather Cole,
Librarian of Hilles and Lamont Libraries.

This sign caught the attention
of students walking into Loker Commons, provoking nods and inquires for
more information.

A librarian will be located in Loker Commons Monday through Thursday from noon
to 2pm until May 8. Reference Librarians Kosokoff, Sue Gilroy, Lamont; Chao Chen,
Hilles; Elaine Clement, Ann Robinson, and Dana Mastroianni, Cabot, will take turns
filling the 20 different two-hour slots.

"We’ve had a great response from the students and a warm reception
from the building administrators at the Loker Commons," said Kosokoff.
"We decided to initiate the Roving Librarian in Loker Commons because
it is a high traffic area for undergraduate students, many of whom stop to pick
up sack lunches rather than travel back to their houses over the lunch hour.
And as you can see by the smiles and nods, we are getting their attention."